Finding a Smartphone to Fit Your Needs, Under $100
By FARHAD MANJOO September 8, 2010
So you want to buy a smartphone? After enduring the taunting of your friends, you are at the end of the contract on your creaky three-year-old not-so-smartphone. The device doesn't do e-mail or the Web, and it can't find your position on a map.
There is only one problem. Now that you have decided to step into
2007, the choices baffle you. The mobile phone industry has changed enormously since you last shopped. There are several new companies making devices, the phones have an alphabet soup of hardware options, and they run software that can do all kinds of amazing things.For some shoppers, though, the powers of modern smartphones may be overkill. Perhaps you would like to occasionally send e-mail or get access to the Web from your phone, but you don't really care about playing games or editing movies. For you, is there an entry-level smartphone, a phone that will let you do some of the fantastic things your pals keep bragging about, but that won't cost too much or require a college course in using it?
For the last few weeks, I have been testing several phones from the four major carriers - AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. Although there is no official definition for what makes a phone "smart," the industry does have a few generally recognized criteria. A smartphone is usually capable of getting access to your e-mail. It can display Web pages in a way that doesn't distort them too much, and it can connect to the Internet using a cellular data connection (known as
3G) or your home wireless system (Wi-Fi).I defined "entry level" as any smartphone that costs less than $100 when you sign up for a new contract. These parameters did, of course, exclude the kings of the smartphone market - Apple's iPhone 4, Droid
2 from Motorola and the HTC EVO 4G. But you will be surprised what you can get for not much money upfront. A few of the best phones that I looked at cost less than $50, and some were completely free with a new contract.But that is just the price of the phone. When you step into the world of smartphones, the real sticker shock comes on your monthly bill. Most carriers require you to sign up for a data plan when you buy a phone that provides access to the Internet. These can add $15 to $30 a month over what you are used to paying for your dumbphone.
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